Lamma Cricket Club
Contribute To
Sri Lankan Tsunami Aid Relief
The massive loss of life and damage done by tsunami waves to the predominantly poor coastline communities of twelve countries rimming the Indian Ocean, was an immense and unprecedented natural disaster. Like many millions world-wide, members and friends of Lamma Cricket Club simply wanted to help.
The idea that LCC should provide relief for southern Sri Lanka in particular was the suggestion of club stalwart John Fox, who was part of an official LCC tour to the region in 1995 — the infamous “Tour from Hell”. John remembered how the party was warmly received on tour and felt the club owed something to those who were now suffering. A collection was taken up by members in the last few days of 2004 and into the New Year.
Club member Narly Kalupahana (in his maiden year with the Saturday League team) heard of smaller local charities in Sri Lanka who were channelling aid directly to those most in need. Narly, a Kiwi of Sri Lankan heritage, has family and friends who live in Colombo and felt the tragedy hit close to home. It was decided to co-ordinate efforts to send LCC’s donations straight into the capital.
On New Year’s Day the club made a donation to the Rotary Club of Colombo Regency of HK$14,000. The money was used to buy food, clothing, and medical supplies by the Rotary Club for survivors and refugees in coastal towns and communities. For more details on where and how the donations are being used, visit the Relief For Sri Lanka website. The site includes acknowledgements of donors and pictures of the devastation and ongoing relief efforts by Rotarians and aid workers.
Scene of destruction at Batticaloa, on the east coast of Sri Lanka
Powerful waves destroyed transportation links making relief work more difficult
Medical camp set up at Valachchanai by the Rotary Club of Colombo Regency
Vaccinations are a priority to prevent the spread of disease
Shelter boxes are unloaded at a field outside the Batticaloa General Hospital
Desperately needed emergency shelters at Batticaloa
The contributions from members and friends of LCC didn’t stop there however and continued pouring in for weeks.
Current opening batsman for the Saturday League team, Terry Pontikos, received an internal email from a colleague at the South China Morning Post newspaper on January 4. It detailed a bid that her two British friends would make to fly desperately needed medical relief directly into Colombo for the people of Talpe — a tsunami ravaged community seven kilometres south of Galle.
Kate Evans (a Lantau resident), who had returned to Hong Kong after surviving the tsunami whilst staying with friends in Talpe, hatched the plan to personally deliver vaccines to the community after hearing that most of the medical aid being delivered to the capital could not be distributed or was subjected to red-tape delays. For a village decimated by waves, the spectre of epidemic loomed for some 500 survivors who had already suffered greatly.
Together with friend Billie Gladwin, Kate flew in and organised the transportation of the medical supplies to Talpe from Colombo airport. They enlisted the help of Dr Susan Jamieson of Hong Kong, who travelled to the tiny coastal village to administer the vaccines. After hearing of this story, LCC felt an immediate donation of funds would show its support for a specific and very worthwhile humanitarian endeavour. The donation made from the fund-raising collection was HK$10,200. Since then LCC has raised a further $4,000, which it intends to donate to rebuilding efforts in Talpe.
Anyone wishing to donate to the Talpe community or read about Kate’s story can do so by visiting this website. The site is well worth a visit. It contains moving accounts of that fateful Boxing Day morning, together with pictures and an interesting timeline that illustrates the amazing speed with which Kate and her friends organised the delivery and administering of medical supplies.
One of LCC’s favourite sons and long-term member (and current club social co-ordinator) Jonathan Seifman, initiated a second fund-raising venture. A live screening of the Tsunami Benefit cricket match at Delaney’s Bar in Wanchai, between a World XI and an Asian XI from Melbourne’s MCG, turned into another charity drive.
Publican Noel Smythe generously offered to donate 100% of the Bar’s receipts from the day to the relief effort. The event was a unqualified success with the bar seeing a steady stream of Hong Kong cricket identities over the course of the match, aided and abetted by a strong contingent from LCC who stayed till the game’s conclusion, won in a canter by the World XI. A total of HK$12,800 was raised and the money donated to World Vision.
Those members of Lamma CC who attended the Tsunami Appeal night at the Island Bar on January 8th will be interested to learn that over HK$35,000 has so far been raised. The evening included live music from the Yung Shue Wankers and Dan the Bastard, while everyone drank as much as possible — no change there, then — knowing that 50% of the bar takings would be donated to the SCMP/RTHK Tsunami Appeal Fund. The Island Bar are a long-time sponsor of the Lamma CC.
The club is also investigating the feasibility of staging an annual one-day benefit ‘Charity Shield’ match in Hong Kong. The idea is in its infancy but has the support of the committee, so watch this space for details to crystallize in the coming months.
